Berry-picking device



O. BODLAK.

BERRY PICKING DEVICE.

APPLICATIQN FILED APR. 27. 1918.

1 3 1 6,26 5 Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

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BY his M'roRm:

I ammu' co., WASHINGTON. I; c.

OLDRICH BODLAK, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

BERRY-PICKING DEVICE.

Specificationof LettersPatent.' Patented Sept, 16, 1919,

' Application filed. April 27, 1918. Serial No. 231,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLDR10H BooLAK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Berry-Picking Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for plcking berries, and the main ob e ct is to provide a handy and efficient devlce by which various kinds of berries and small friut, but especially blue-berries, may be picked and cleaned much faster than by the usual process of picking them by hand.

In the accompanying draw1ng Figure 1 is a top or plan view of myumproved berry picking device. Flg. 2 1s a side view of the device. Fig. 3 1s an enlarged and modified portion of Flg. 1 between the line 33 and the upper edge of said view. Fig. 4. is the lower edge of what is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top view showing a modification in the method of securing the picking fingers. Fig. 6 is a lower edge view of Fig. 5 w1th the fingers secured. Fig. 7 is similar Fig. 6 but showing another way of securing the tines or fingers. Fig. 8 is similar to Figs. 6 and 7 and shows still another way of securing the fingers to the scoop portion of the device.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates the body of the device and consists of a scoop preferably made of sheet metal and provided at its rear edge with a hollow handle 2, in which .may be inserted a much longer wooden handle 3. The bottom of the scoop is provided with a series of transversely disposed slots 4, and the front edge of it is raised somewhat and provided with a fork or comb composed of a series of tines or fingers 5, having fairly sharp pointed front ends but are otherwlse preferably of round form and arranged n parallel position, and at each side of sald fork the sides of the scoop are extended forwardly as guards 1".

In the manufacture of the device the tines may be formed in any suitable manner. Thus in Fig. 1 they appear as made integral with the body 1, while in Fig. 2 they are shown as secured in a transverse bottom strip or bar 6. In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown how the tines maybe formed on a special plate 7 and the latter secured to the scoop by rivets8. In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown how thefront end of the scoop may be provided with spaced grooves 9 in which wire fingers 5 may be secured by solder 9*. In Fig. 7 is shown how the front edge of the scoop may be secured by solder or other means in shts 10 in the rear ends of each finger 5. And in Fig. 8 is shown how the rear end of each finger 5 may be bent at right angles downward and secured in a hole 11 in the rear end of a groove 12 stamped or otherwise provided in the body of the scoop. The latter form I consider the most practical and inexpensive to manufacture.

In the operation or use of the device the handle 2 is grasped in one hand and a pail or other receptacle carried in the other hand, and in picking the berries, say blue berries, the device is pushed along below the berries and by such forward and upward movement the berries that are too large to escape downward between the fingers 5 become loosened and moved rearwardly into the scoop until the latter is fairly full, when it is emptied into the pail and the operation is repeated.

\Vhere the berries are richly grown and the field is large, the pail or other receptacle (not shown) is placed on the ground and the device, which may then be of an extra large size, is given a long wooden handle 3, so the operator can use both hands on it and can walk along without stooping and push the device along like a. pitch-fork and empty it into the receptacle, and moving ifaihelzdlatter occasionally to a new part of the It is obvious that the device may be used also for picking cherries and many other kinds of berries and fruits; and that during the operation, especially on a blueberry field, an occasional shaking or reciprocal movement of the device will cause leaves and undesirably small berries to escape downward through the apertures, 4, and thus the berries will be found practically cleaned at the time they are picked; the device thus saving much time and labor by picking the berries very fast and entirely avoiding the process of picking them over to clean them.

What I claim is:

1. In a berry picking device of the clas described, a scoop-shaped body with a hanserted downwardly through the aperture dle at its rear end and a series of parallel andfirmly secured therein. 10 longitudinal grooves in the front end por- 2. The structure specified in claim 1, said tion of its bottom, each of said grooves havangula-rly bent portions being upset or ing in its rear-Ward end a perforation, a clenched at the underside of the bottom of series of pointed fingers or tines placed theiscoop;

with their rear portions in said grooves and In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. having each an angular bent end-portion in- OLDRICH BODLAK.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

